Why woudn’t I?

I was on a trip last fall with a great group of women, some I knew well, others a little and one not at all. We went to France, ooohhhlaaalaaa. I love to travel, even to Bixby. It’s about the unknown, what’s around the corner, the sites, the newness, fresh eyes. I love seeing something for the first time like I’m a kid again. So I was excited to go, mostly for the new sites, but I was open to whatever might come. And it was everything I had hoped for, the weather was spectacular, the food AMAZING, the adventures like riding our bikes at night on the busiest streets in Paris were ummm memorable, the conversations over dinner were heartwarming, it was basically perfect. But as always the one thing that is etched on your mind is the one thing you aren’t planning for, or don’t expect. In this case it’s the phrase, “why wouldn’t we?”, coined by the one person on the trip I had never met, my new friend Debbie. Her phrases “why wouldn’t we and yeah we did” will go with me forever, and maybe it’s too strong to say those words changed my life, but they have definitely made an impact, just as she did. I love the freedom of “why wouldn’t we” and the affirmation of “yeah we did”. And somewhere within those little words I found a voice that encouraged me to say yes to stepping out and creating MagPie Events. Life has an interesting way of intersecting lives, lives that might give you something special, something unexpected, like little phrases in a southern accent that say yes to what’s next.

MagPie Events, the little company named after my two best reasons for celebrating, my children Maggie and Pierce. Together they make MagPie and they’ve been the inspiration for many a party over the years. Barbie parties where there was hat decorating by the guests for their hat and a matching one for their Barbie and a guest Barbie that came that looked as much like Barbie as I do, which let’s just say isn’t much, but they didn’t care they were 5 and if I said it was Barbie they thought so. We had capture the flags parties with mailed assignments and flags that indicated the team. Fishing party with trophies of the “best looking fish”, which doesn’t take much they are all so pretty and Halloween parties with bobbing for apples and maybe more bobbing than apples and new years eve parties with horsey rides….and Christmas parties with Santa and red noses(Santa’s not Rudolph’s). They gave me a reason and excuse for celebrating. I’m so lucky they were born. They’ve shown me the way to everything good, and encouraged me to keep on going.

So I’ve gone full steam ahead into this new world where I sort of know what I’m doing, but certainly need lots of support, advice, encouragement, insight, bossiness and love from my friends and family. But it’s been the women in my world that have been the most ardent supporters, the best advisors, the givers of time, energy, interest, desire to see me fulfill a dream. They have taken photographs, made logos, spent hours helping with events, given inspiration, set up easels with pen and paper to discuss what my game plan should be, listened as I went back and forth on what seems best, and been my guinea pigs. They have encouraged me in every way possible and genuinely hoped for my success. They are givers. They have been the light of this new path. Grateful is too small of a word. They act like of course I should be doing this, “why wouldn’t I?”